BJJ is a sport that involves using leverage and timing to overcome your opponent, and a skilled small person can use those techniques to defeat an unskilled opponent that is bigger and/or stronger. This makes BJJ a good choice for women who are interested in learning a martial art for self defence. However, it is important to remember that it takes a lot of time and practice to get skilled enough to overcome a stronger opponent, and we encourage everyone – male and female, to prioritise avoidance and awareness when it comes to self defence. It is good to be able to defend yourself should the worst happen, but it is better to avoid confrontations and dangerous situations as much as possible.

Striking itself is not a big part of the curriculum at Origin BJJ. We do touch on protecting yourself from strikes in some of our fundamentals classes, but if you are interested in a full self-defence program we recommend that in addition to taking BJJ classes you consider cross training in a striking art such as Kickboxing or Muay Thai.

From a sporting point of view, BJJ is a great workout, and there are regular competitions taking place throughout the year. Competitions are divided into gender categories, experience levels and weight classes, so you will be able to test your skills against people of a similar size, strength and ability level.